The Bending Games
by Indigospellbound
Summary: It's been 100 years since the war ended and peace was achieved across the four nations. Our savior Amon purged the world of our impurities. In order to end the war between benders and non-benders each of the five largest cities across the four nations must offer in tribute four benders, two male, two female. To participate in a fight to the death. A/M/K R
1. Prologue

It's been 100 years since the war ended and peace was achieved across the four nations. Our savior Amon purged the world of our impurities for a generation but not even he could kill the art of bending. As new benders were born they lived in secret; their former bending family members trained them. As generations grew more and more benders emerged and small secret underground schools popped up across the four nations. Each of the four nations pleaded the spirits to bring them the Avatar, their savior, but he never came.

Soon there were enough trained benders to take on Amon, who was severely weakened by age, and his followers. Amon was assassinated on March 3rd 70 years ago to the day. The war between benders and non-benders reignited and lasted another 15 years until finally the non-benders prevailed. Those who rebelled were punished for rebelling against a system that loved and cared for us. Once again we were saved from the power that wanted to destroy us. Once again we were clean.

In order to end the war for equality and as punishment for their crimes of rebelling against equality it was decreed that every year five of the largest cities in the four nations will hold an annual reaping in which 20 benders between the ages 12 and 18 will be chosen to fight to the death in a arena until one ultimately prevails and will have the honor of being victor and keeping their bending abilities.

Those who do not receive this honor will lose their bender the day after the reaping of their 18th year. This is what must be done to achieve equality amongst all peoples of the world. This is what must be done in order to remind those who may rebel the cost of staying from the pure path.


	2. Chapter 1

_"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" Said a young boy who looked like a monk, his grey eyes sparkling with mischief. The tan skinned girl he addressed cocked an eyebrow at him. Snow was falling in her dark hair and her hair adornments that could only be described as loopies blew in the soft cold breeze. "Come on it'll be fun." He turned his attention and waddled behind an unsuspecting penguin. The girl laughed a slight blush turning her cheeks pink. "Got one!" He exclaimed wrestling a penguin to the ground. The girl shrugged and snuck up on one of her own._

_ "Ok ready!" She called positioning herself on her penguin. With a flourish they were off. The boy felt the energy of the wind around him, he manipulated it easily allowing himself to gain speed. The girl, a little ways behind, was laughing harder than the boy suspected she had in a long time. "I haven't done this since I was a kid." She laughed._

_ "You still are a kid." He replied. The boy and his penguin went off a jump and he was falling... falling..._

"Korra wake up." Pema whispered shaking Korra out of her dream. She blinked and shook off the last remnants of the dream from her mind. It may seem odd to some but it wasn't the first time Korra was that young boy in her dreams. She wasn't always sledding in her dreams, sometimes she was flying high in the sky on a flying bison. The wind rustling through her red and yellow monks robes.

She peeled back the covers and softly padded through the room she shared with Pema's children Ikki, Meelo and Jinora, to help with breakfast. It was common place for Korra to be awake before the other children in order to help out Pema. She felt it was the last she could do after Pema and her husband Tenzin adopted her after her parents were killed in a raid by the purification committee looking for the avatar.

"Are you nervous?" Pema asked when Korra came into the kitchen.

"No, why would I be?" Korra replied taking out a piece of fruit from the icebox to cut it.

"Today is the reaping." Pema lit the stove burner with a match.

"It'll be ok, it always is, I only have one more year after this, I can make it." Korra recited more for her own benefit than Pema's. "Jinora is worried though, we had a long talk about it so I think she's ok now." A comfortable silence came upon the pair.

"Do you think you're going to miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"You're bending." Korra's slicing paused.

"Oh, that. I don't think so. Everyone says I'm going to be better off without it anyways." Again she repeated the rhetoric that she tried her hardest to believe.

"Tenzin still talks about it from time to time."

"Why? Neither of us were ever trained."

"He says he misses the ability to feel the air currents and the power they contain." Pema looked over and noticed the way Korra's shoulders tensed.

"That's exactly what's so dangerous though." She said in a rush going back to cutting the fruit. "We get addicted to the power until it consumes us. Its better if we stay more in control of ourselves that our element."

"I guess I understand that. I was never a bender and I've always wondered what it felt like to be about to feel the elements and tap into them if needed." Pema shrugged innocently and put some eggs in the pan.

"No, you're lucky. When you walk down the street you don't have people looking at you like you're going to start a riot, or that you have some sort of disease they might catch. I can't wait until tomorrow and I can finally feel normal."

"I wonder if The Avatar will ever come back."

"The Avatar? Don't be crazy Pema that's just a fairy tale."

"No it really does exist. Tenzin's grandmother knew him."

"Wait, she did?"

"Yup, It he was a great airbender that stopped the war against the Fire Nation." Korra tried her best to hide her interest. "After Amon took over, he killed the next avatar, a young waterbender girl, before she was able to reach potential. His "committee" has been searching out the avatar and killing him or her ever since."

"Wow, that's terrible." She stumbled her words "I mean."

"See Korra you're instincts still tell you that bending is good."

"No its' not, bending has been the cause of every major war in history. Remember what you just told me about the fire nation war, that was started by power hungry benders. Ever since bending has been outlawed there have been no wars."

"A warless world doesn't always mean a peaceful one." The room fell into silence and Pema and Korra finished preparing breakfast. Meelo ambled into the room rubbing the last amount of sleep from his eyes.

"Good Morning," He yawned crawling into his seat at the kitchen table.

"What are you doing up sleepy head?" Korra asked taking the seat across from him.

"Couldn't sleep, Jinora keeps waking up crying." Korra felt a pang of guilt for not noticing.

"I'll go talk to her." Said Pema

"No Its ok, I'll do it, I know what she's going through." Korra got up and walked out of the room.

"I guess you're right." Pema sighed feeling helpless when it came to her first born.

"Jinora." Korra whispered. The cover hidden lump shifted as Jinora moved to face her. "What's wrong, Meelo says you've been crying."

"Oh that." She looked away embarrassed. Jinora was always the strongest of her siblings, she never wanted to show that anything got to her. She was like Korra that way. Pema was a good mother, strong, reliable, caring but, with her husband away most of the time working for the government of republic city, when it came to matters of bending the task usually went to Korra.

"It's ok if you're scared. I am a little too." Korra pulled the younger girl into a hug.

"You don't think they'll pick you will they?"

"Possibly," Jinora paled "But most likely not. There are hundreds of benders in republic city, chances are it's not going to be me or you." She realized the girl and smoothed back her short brown hair. "Now, I think your mom has breakfast almost ready so let's go get some food." She got up off of Jinora's bed and the young girl followed her out of the room.

"Ikki, breakfast is ready." Korra announced, the youngest of Tenzin and Pema's daughters let out a groan.

Meanwhile across town Mako shook his brother awake. "Time to get up Bo."

"Five more minutes" Bolin groaned rolling over on his sleeping roll. Mako looked outside the window for any signs of equalists. The street outside was a bustle with people getting ready for that afternoons reaping. The brothers had to get out of the house they were staying at and fast. It is not safe to be in the house of a known bending sympathy group even if it was the best place for them in the cold spring nights. Finally not able to wait any longer Mako pulled the blankets off of Bolin causing his brother to groan and shiver at the rush of cold air.

Within a few moments the two were ready to go. Mako opened the door cautiously looking around for any equalists he pulled his red scarf over his face to keep out the cold and the two were out light ghosts leaving behind to trace.

Mako found an alley way where the two hid their small amount of belongings. Nothing they had was worth stealing anyways. The boys walked out into the street to join the crowds like they belonged. After a short walk Mako and Bolin entered the main square, Mako scowled at the stage that was set up for the reaping. Even though it was early the square was already full of people gossiping and benders begrudgingly registering. The whole sight made him sick, especially the young ones being coaxed by their parents to fill out the forms that could lead to their death.

"I'm gonna go ahead and get in line." Bolin said breaking his brother's thoughts. "Might as well get this over with."

"Ok Bo, I'll get us some breakfast." The younger one nodded and walked towards the sign that said boys.

Mako walked over to a vendor tent and dropped some coins on the counter. "What'll it be today comrade?" said a boy a little older than Mako flipping some stir fry on the stove.

"Three dumpings." Mako said leaning against the counter watching the crowed.

"Only three?"

"I'm not very hungry today." a scowl came across his features.

"It's sick isn't it. They all think their doing the right thing." he dumped three fresh dumplings on a plate in front of Mako.

"Yeah, some outcome for a city built on the idea of benders and non-benders living together."

"I don't know what's more sad. The way the ideals have changed or the fact they think this is benders and non-benders living together."

Mako nodded. "I'll see ya, Sae."

"Take care Mako." He saluted his friend.

There was a large banner over the square that read registration; there was a line for the boys and a line for the girls. Korra walked with her arm around Jinora through the bustle of people. "We'll see you after." Korra said to Pema. Jinora gave her mother one and siblings one last hug.

"You'll be ok." Pema whispered in her ear.

"They're going to want to know your name, age, and your element going to take a little blood to make sure you're telling them your true identity. It'll hurt a little but not much. Then you're going to go stand with the other 11 year olds and I will go stand with the 17 year old. Then they will read the names and it'll be over soon. I'll find you after and we can go home." Jinora nodded too scared to do anything else and she got into the back of line behind Korra.

"Asami, 17, Earth." Said a pretty dark haired girl in front of Korra. She winced as the middle aged woman pricked Asami with the needle a small drop of blood fell onto the paper and the girl walked away.

"Next" said he man for the line right next to Korra. A boy walked forward stiffly, to the front.

"Mako, 18, Fire." He didn't even make a face when pricked with the clean needle and like he did this every day he walked to join the other boys. Like Korra, this would be his last reaping.

"Name." Said the woman on the other side of the table. "Name." She said again more insistently snapping Korra out of her daze.

"Korra, 18, Water." she prepared herself for the needle.

"Interesting, not many members of the water tribes in Republic city." Eyeing her with intent. Korra didn't regale her with her story; she knew the only reason why the woman noticed was because it would make for more difficult odds if she were picked as a tribute. Water was a very powerful element in situations where water was abundant but in a desert type arena which there had been in the past Korra's chances would be slim to none.

Korra walked towards the other 17 year old girls but waited for Jinora to make sure she got through everything ok. She didn't know why Jinora would have any problem, but it was that mothering instinct that came over to her when it came to Tenzin and Pema's children.

Mako looked around at the other boys waiting in the holding area. He felt like an animal at the market waiting for a buyer to pick him out to take home and eat. In a way that was exactly what the reaping was only the reaping didn't take into account who would make the best meal. He scanned the crowed and gave Bolin a reassuring smile when their eyes met.

He hoped more than anything that there was a way to change the law. Make it legal to bend. He thought about how his fire bending could be used for good. He could create power for the city through the lightning he could produce when he concentrated hard enough. He thought about the healing abilities of water benders, and how Bolin could use his earth bending to create such feats of architecture that haven't been seen since The Equalists took over. He knew such daydreams were futile and as much time as he spent helping the sympathizers nothing was ever going to change without the avatar.

A tap on a microphone brought everyone to attention. "Attention everyone." Said Mr. Hiroshi Sato, a man that Mako knew of and hated with a passion. When Sato found out that his daughter was a bender he put her out on the streets. Luckily a sympathizer family adopted her and took her in. No one on either side had mentioned the incident since.

Sato's daughter Asami was a good friend of the brother's and always referred to the man as Sato, Hiroshi, or occasionally that bastard never dad. "The time has come to find out who will become Republic Cities tributes for the 55h annual Bending Games." A group of surrounding equalists cheered and Mako felt like he might be sick

"Let us begin with ladies first." He walked over to the pink bowl filled with spinning pieces of white paper. Sato grabbed one and cleared his throat. "Asami, from the Earth Kingdom." He said just as he would recite a grocery list. The square went silent, the usual cheers and wails of family members were completely absent as Asami walked calmly to join her father at the stage. The two shook hands as if they were strangers and Sato had not just sent his own daughter to die.

"Next we have." He dug his hand around struggling to catch another piece from the girl's bowl. "Korra, from the Water Tribe." a slow round of claps from the audience began and more joined in the shock of the Satos wearing off. Those cheering were either equalists or happy it hadn't been their family member reaped. Jinora turned completely white; never in her worst nightmares did it end in Korra being reaped instead of her. Jinora almost jumped up in volunteer because she knew that's what Korra would do if the situation were reversed but she knew that she couldn't. If either of them could make it out of the arena alive it was Korra.

Korra walked up to the stage where she shook hands with both Sato and Asami. She thought it silly that the proper thing to do was to shake hands with the people who very well may be the cause of her death.

"On to the boys." Sato walked over to the other side of the stage. "First we have Petra, of the Fire Nation." Pera was a large boy who looked about 15 years old with spiky jet black hair and the golden eyes of a fire bender. He strutted proudly to the stage and shook hands with Sato and his competitors before taking his place at the far left of the stage.

"Last but certainly not least we have" several members of the audience made a drumming sound on their legs. Sato chuckled as he grabbed the last small white strip from the boys bowl. "Bolin, from the Earth Kingdom." Mako's whole world stopped as his baby brother, his only family walked nervously to the stage. The shock quickly wore off.

"I VOLUNTEER!" Shouted Mako pushing his way through to the front. "I VOLUNTEER!" He said again. "Bolin doesn't have to go I volunteer." He said out of breath taking the steps up to the stage.

"Well I haven't asked for volunteers yet but this one's gun ho." Sato laughed like a demented version of Santa Claus. "What's your name son."

"Mako, Fire Nation." Bolin walked forward to talk to his brother.

"You don't have to do this." He whispered sharply looking his brother straight in the eyes.

"I made a promise to Dad, I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

"Mako, you don't-" He pleaded.

"Yes I do." Mako's face was stone. "Now get down there." Bolin left the stage in a haze he never thought in a million years that it would come to this.

"There you have it folks the four tributes of Republic City. Asami, Korra, Petra, and Mako." The crowed of equalists cheered. The tributes were ushered into the cities Hall of Justice, Mako couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the name; what happened here was anything but just.

Korra looked out the window of the holding room. "Five minutes" said a stern equalist man. Tenzin and his family filed in nervously. Jinora ran ahead to give Korra a hug.

"This can't happen you have to win." Tears were streaming freely from Jinora's eyes.

"There's 20 of us Jinora, and only one can come out."

"You can do this, you're smart, you're brave."

"I don't think I can. Have you seen the others? That Peyra has had to of had some training with his bending. I can barely pick up a glass of spilled water."

"You have to try. Promise me."

"I'll try, you have my word."

"Yeah kick those fire bender's butts." Meelo hopped around the room kicking the air around him causing Meelo to rise off the ground. In any other situation Pema would have scolded her son but at this moment the lightheartedness was a blessing. Pema walked over to Korra and hugged her.

"No matter what happens you will always be my daughter."

"Times up." Said the equalist.

"See you soon." Tenzin placed a hand on her shoulder. Korra wrapped her arms around the air bender for a hug.

"Thank you so much for everything."

Bolin walked into Mako's room and immediately gave his brother one of his infamous bear hugs. "It's going to be ok." Said Mako. "Everything will be fine." more for Mako's benefit than his brother's.

"You know where to get food, and you can find a job at the market to make some money. Asami's parents will make sure you're ok."

"Come on Mako, I'm almost a man. I can take care of myself." Bolin flexed his muscles "Can you do me one favor?"

"Anything."

"Give Sato hell for me." Bolin winked before giving Mako one last hug and with that Mako was alone. He stared at the closed door ahead of him for a moment and he realized that this would be the last time he would ever see Bolin. For the first time since the death of his parents Mako broke down and cried.

Asami sat in her holding room looking out the window. Her parents were out of town for a meeting somewhere in the Earth Kingdom so she wasn't expecting them to say goodbye. She almost hoped that Sato might come in, he owed her at least that much, but nothing. Asami sat completely alone.

The tributes were ushered onto a train by masked equalists. In the main car sat a man in a suit who each of the tributes recognized as Iroh, Victor of the 50th hunger games and Son of the Fire lord Mai. Iroh stood up and ushered them to sit down around a table laid out with delicacies from all the four nations. Mako had never had so much food available to him in his entire life.

"Sit, eat, we have much to discuss." the four sat around a table and piled things onto their plates. "You all know the basics of how this works. This year the ceremonies will be held in Ba Sing Se. We will arrive on Monday; you will be presented later that evening. Then you will have training for the next two weeks. You will train for survival together and then your elements separately. At the end of the two week period you will have your evaluations and that night your final interviews where you're scores will be reveled. The day after will be your first day in the games. I will be your chaperone and advisor, any questions?" the tributes were silent. "No good." With that Iroh got up and left the car.

"Don't you think it's a little weird that it seems like only people like Iroh win this thing?" Asami asked

"No." Said Petra. "Iroh is a member of the imperial family of the fire nation, it's obvious that he's going to win."

"So just because someone is rich means that he's going to win the games." Asami challenged.

"Yeah basically, it does." Petra said with his mouth full of food. "I wouldn't be complaining, princess; everyone knows the Sato's are loaded. But then again my father didn't-"

"Watch it." Mako spat his fist hitting the table. Korra jumped at the outburst and the table went silent she excused herself and walked into the next car in the opposite the way Iroh went. She found herself in a sitting room with a couch and a TV she flipped through the channels trying to find something to distract herself until she saw a recap to the days reaping.

"Such dedication." Said a commentator discussing the reading of Asami's name "It's that kind of dedication that would make Amon proud."

"And then a volunteer too." Said the other.

"Normally I don't give much thought to Republic City it's so central that there isn't much of a strong bending community."

"Which is wonderful but unfortunate for the tributes who come out of there." Korra noticed a presence in the room when she saw that it was Asami she flipped off the TV in a rush.

"It's ok." She said taking a seat beside Korra. Asami had the kind of looks that knocked ten points off your self-esteem just looking at her, even girls like Korra who never gave much thought to outward appearances. "I know that everyone is talking about my family. I don't even care anymore."

"I still shouldn't"

"Shouldn't what? Watch what someone has to say about it on TV? Its ok Korra, you need to stop apologizing for everything. I can tell that you're too strong to act so meek all the time. If this is some ploy for the games you need to do a better job, you're not fooling anyone."

"I'm sorry, I mean things got a little..."

"Intense in there? Mako can get a little intense sometimes. He's just over protective with the people he cares about."

"Oh so you two are..."

"Dating? No we're just friends we've known eachother since I... since we were little kids."

"Too bad there's no fighting between tributes before the games. Petra deserves it."

"There's the truth. Yeah Mako should have hit him. Petra was asking for it."

* * *

"We need to come up with an angle." Said Iroh in the chair across from Mako the next morning during his "training session."

"An angle?" he said unconvinced.

"Yes, this bruting firebender routine has been done so many times." Mako scoffed. "What do you like to do for fun?"

"Fun?"

"Yes Mako fun?" he said tired

"I like to slash the tires on equalist vans."

"That's not illegal."

"Um I like to play craps in the alley."

"Gambling is illegal too. You're lucky that at this rate you're going to die in the game so I can't report you."

"Why don't you? I won't die then. Don't you get some bonus if your tribute lives?"

"Because sending you to jail will be more paperwork. Now fun..."

"That is what I do for fun." Iroh let out an exasperated sigh.

"I have an idea." Iroh said after some time. "What about Asami?"

"Asami? What about her?"

"Yes it's perfect. I've got it the star-crossed lovers of Republic City. This will be the best romance since the story about the girl and the enemy firebender who threw herself into a volcano."

"But Asami's my friend. I don't like her like that."

"You want to go home right?" Mako nodded. "Ok then now you do. Goodbye." Iroh waved off Mako who stalked off into another compartment.

"He's all yours." Mako said grudgingly walked past Korra. She looked after him cautiously but walked into meet Iroh anyways.

"Korra, come in." Iroh greeted her much more cheerfully than he had the night before. "Sit down let's talk." Korra sat in the plush chair across from him. "So I hear you are originally from the South Pole, is that correct?"

"Um yes."

"So how did a young waterbender like you end up so far from home?" He leaned forward in his chair

"My parents were killed during an equalist raid." She said flatly.

"You say that so calmly, like it happened to someone else. Why is that?"

"I don't know, I guess it happened a long time ago. I don't really remember much about them." For some reason she felt her mind wander back to the dream, the cold Antarctic wind blowing across her skin.

"Did it upset you that the equalists killed your parents?"

"Yeah, but if it didn't happen I wouldn't have met Tenzin and his family."

"But the equalists stole your family from you."

"I guess, but I have a new family now."

"Do you think you are better off with that family than your own?"

"I don't know, I think it would be easier on them if they didn't have to worry about me. But I help Pema and Tenzin in anyways I can to make up for it."

"Korra, answer me honestly. Do you want to win?" He took a sip of wine from his glass and placed it onto the end table next to his chair.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you." He locked his cold amber eyes on her own. She could still see the fire blazing in them under the surface. "I think you have a fighting spirit; you just need to stop feeling like your existence is a burden on those who you care about. You have just as much of a right to win these games than anyone else, maybe even more so."

"I know." Korra said plainly.

"Do you know what will happen to your family if you don't come back? Poor, Pema forced to take care of those three air benders on her own." She was about to ask how she knew Pema's name or the fact that Tenzin had three children but then she remembered that Tenzin was a representative of Republic City, and Iroh, being a member of the imperial family, would have known Tenzin. "If you are such a big help to Pema, your loss and the grief it would cause would be more devastating on their well being that your care." Korra had never thought of it that way before.

"Besides, those children are the last of the air nation, equalists can be restless and I know plenty who would love to exterminate an entire element from the globe." Korra heard the laughter of the boy from her dream in her ear. "If you win, it could mean the difference between their life, and their death." Iroh picked up his wine glass and swirled its contents Korra watched the liquid move, no she was feeling it move, she was also aware of the way the air swirled as Iroh inhaled and exhaled. She could feel the heart from the coal engine in the front of the train, the way the stones on the track outside were disrupted as the train rumbled past. All these sensations muddled Korra's head causing her to feel dizzy.

"I have to go." She muttered getting up and running from the room. She ran past a bewildered Mako and Asami talking covertly in the hallway. Past Petra lighting bits of paper on fire in the lounge.

Finally she took refuge in the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She looked in the mirror her face was flushed. She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water into her face. When she looked up again she saw her eyes flash like silver fire behind her in the mirror she saw a man dressed in red and yellow robes, a blue arrow tattoo covered his bald head. She turned to face him but saw no one. She turned back to the mirror, her eyes had returned to their normal blue and she man was gone. She fell onto the floor, taking deep breaths and feeling her pulse slow back to normal. Korra though she must be having some sort of nervous break, it was normal to go a little crazy under so much stress. Nothing was wrong. Yet she still couldn't get rid of the feeling that some wall she had tried so desperately to build was falling down around her.


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the reviews so far, they mean a lot to me. This story is still un beta'd so I apologize for any typos. I hope you ejoy Chapter 2. Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra or The Hunger Games. **

* * *

Rain poured down from the sky drenching Tenzin while he waited outside of Lin Bei Fong's town house. Growing inpatient he raised his hand to knock on the door again but he was beat by Lin opening the door. She was dressed in her metal police chief uniform a cross expression on her face. "How could you have let this happen?" was all she said while Tenzin hung his dripping outer robes on the coat hanger in the entryway.

The whole house was painted a dark green with gold crown molding, matching the gleaming metals of valor and public service that hung proudly on the walls. Most thought the colors were meant to symbolize the Bei Fong family, only Lin and those close to her knew they symbolized her connection with her lost element.

Tenzin took a moment to compose himself regaining his normal calm manor after the abrupt greeting. "We both know that Korra's reaping had nothing to do with me. You were supposed to have someone take her name out of the bowl."

"Although, I have no idea what happened with that part of the plan, I'm talking about her training. Does Korra even know who she is?"

"As far as I know she doesn't." He resigned.

"You were supposed to take her in and train her that was the plan."

"I know that. You didn't know her like I did. Every time I even mentioned bending she completely shut down."

"That's irrelevant. She was our only chance. How are we supposed to win a war when The Avatar is afraid of bending?"

"Lin, we don't know if Korra would ever have the ability to give us back our bending. We've been over this." She looked up at his steel gray eyes, her green ones softened. He was right. There had been legends, rumors but nothing ever confirmed that The Avatar had the ability to restore bending.

"I just hope I didn't have to orchestrate that raid for nothing." Lin resigned.

"The only question left is how are we going to get her out?"

* * *

The breakfast table was quiet except for the occasional, pass the dumplings talk. Iroh sat at the head of the table, looking far too pleased with himself. Mako, and Asami were to his left, Korra and Petra to his right. "Ah it looks as if we're nearly there." Iroh said glancing towards the window where the walls of Ba Sing Se were coming into view. The tributes seemed unmoved except for Petra who got up and walked towards the window. The train rumbled a little as it went through the tunnel in the walled city. Petra waved at the people that stood along the track.

"Looks like somebody's got the right idea." Iroh smiled swirling the drink in his hand.

The compartment door opened to reveal Hiroshi Sato, who so far had been absent for the trip. "Up, up, up it's going to be a big, big, big day." He said continuing his evil Santa Claus routine. "When we reach the platform you will be separated into groups based upon your element for the tribute parade. But don't worry, the four of your will be sharing the same apartment for the remainder of your time here." He took a place at the other head of the table and buttered a slice of toast.

"Wonderful." Mako muttered sarcastically under his breath and Asami sent him a death glare. As much as it would make her happy, now was not the time to make enemies.

Breakfast commenced without much incident and soon the tributes along with their chaperones emerged in Ba Sing Se. Korra had heard lengthy descriptions of the city from Tenzin and she guessed she could see why Tenzin loved it there so much. It was one of the few places left that held the imperial feel of the once great Earth Kingdom.

The train stopped and Korra as ushered to stand by another group of about 5 water benders. Some were about her age, one, a small thin boy looked like he could be as young at 11. It made her sick to think that Jinora could have been chosen instead of her.

A short young lady dressed in fine earth bender robes emerged from the crowd. She stood in front of the water benders, put her hands together and took a bow. "Hello, my name is Joo-dee I will be your guide around the wonderful city of Ba Sing Se." she said with a smile. "Now if you will follow me I will take you to Haru who will be getting you ready for tonight's opening ceremony." She turned and walked away, not concerned if her tributes were following her. Korra contemplated running away but decided that it was better to follow her than take her chances alone a strange city.

Joo-dee chattered along about the history of the architecture that made up the train station but Korra found it hard to concentrate on her words with all the noise and action going around with the heightened scenes she seemed to have acquired. There were people with newspapers yelling "Extra, Extra read all about it! Game Keeper Xin Fu promises this to be the best games yet!" Scalpers, promising prime seats for the night's ceremony. Others urge people passing by to place their bets on the game's outcome.

"It's as if they don't understand that this whole thing is real." Korra said to no one in particular. The boy walking next to her grunted in agreement. Joo-dee led them through a door and down a flight of stairs. They walked in silence through a dark corridor lit by a collection of flickering torches for what seemed like forever but was only a few minutes. Soon they were back up another flight of stairs and through another door.

"We just traveled through an ancient secret passage from the train station to the palace. Down this hall you will find a room with your name on it, go ahead and go inside. Haru will be with you soon." Joo-dee took another bow and left down the hall.

It didn't take long for Korra the room with her name on a gold plaque attached to a large stone door. Korra knew from Tenzin that all the doors in the palace used to be opened by earth bending, but with the technical advances that have come with the end of bending Korra only needed to press a button where a door knob would be on a regular door and it slid open. Inside the room were already 3 people busying themselves putting things on the large make-up table. A steaming tub was in the corner.

"Welcome to Ba Sing Se, you must be Korra. I'm Cho. It's nice to meet you." Korra did her best to seem friendly, after all these people were just doing their jobs and weren't the ones sending her to her death. She shook the girl's hand, her too big green eyes; twig-like figure and white hair with green sparkly streaks in it made her look more like a spirit than a girl. "Please make yourself comfortable in the tub. It is filled with the best minerals our Earth has to offer. My assistant Yumi and I will help you clean yourself."

Korra insisted that she didn't need help getting clean but when she sunk into the warm sweet smelling water she was glad to let her body relax and her eyes droop as Cho and Yumi went to work cleaning her finger nails and buffing her feet. She must have dozed off but when she came to Cho and Yumi were chattering away. "What did you say?" Korra asked.

"Oh, we were just talking about this year's tributes." Yumi dismissed her beauty was just as ethereal as Cho's only her signature color seemed to be purple.

"I think it's odd that fire bending boy volunteered from your city. The Earth bender seemed more than capable of participating himself." Cho went on.

"Mako is just trying to protect what's left of his family. I think it's noble." Korra didn't know why she felt a need to defend Mako to these two silly girls. Sure he seemed like a good person, but it wasn't as if they were friends.

"Noble Maybe," Yumi commented. "I just hope he's as good looking in person as he is in the posters."

"What is it about firebender's? They're all so hot." Cho said dreamily.

"It's all the fire inside of them." Yumi giggled. Korra was once against struck about how these people didn't seem to realize that these people they were gossiping about will be dead by the end of the month. Then again Korra didn't really think about that fact either until she was caught I the middle of it.

"Ok, I think you're about as clean as we can get you." Cho helped her out of the bath and got her into a soft warm robe. The next few hours were a blur of hair pulling, make-up applying, and more gossip from Korra's helpers. Whenever Korra tried to see what they were doing to her in the mirror she was immediately pulled back and told not to peak. When the girls were finally done they turned her around and Korra's mouth dropped.

Her normally limp wavy hair was put in a up do with pieces of dark curls left out to frame her face. Her pale blue eyes looked like blue flame behind coal eye shadow, highlighted in the right spot to make them pop. Her bronze skin was buffed until it looked like she'd never had a blemish in her life. It was like looking at a different person. Maybe not a different person, just someone with Korra's body that wasn't her.

"I think she likes it." Yumi smiled.

"Let's hope Haru agrees" Cho smiled. "Good luck Korra, we'll see you again before the interviews." The girls left the room in a flurry of girlish laughter between best friends.

Korra took the rare alone time to at least attempt bending. She walked over to the tub and waved her hand over the water. She knew she should at least feel something she closed her eyes and focused on what she though Tenzin meant by the energy of the element. Taking deep breaths and focused on not the water but the spirit of the water, coaxing, pleading it to move. She felt like she was getting somewhere then the scrape of stone against stone broke her concentration.

Haru was not like she was expecting. He was a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties, his appearance looked subdued compared to the girls. He had long dark hair the looked as if he'd never cut it partially put up with an emerald scarf. His dark greened eyes were coal-lined. His mustache was styled like that of an old guru but the mirth in his eyes erased any thought of him being a wise old master. A garment bag was dangling on his finger lazily "They did better than I expected." Haru walked around her in a circle, not bothering to introduce himself. He handed the garment bag to Korra. "Put this on." Korra took it, he turned around and covered his eyes. "Don't worry I won't look. Let me know when we're done so I can make sure it fits right."

She placed the bag on the stone make-up table and unzipped it. The design of the dress was simple enough, not being an expert in fashion it looked like a dress to Korra. The fabric was a blue and white pattern that swirled like water when the angle of light moved. Korra half expected the fabric to be wet but when she put the dress on she discovered it felt like any other clothes Korra had worn. "I'm ready." Korra said.

"Oh I'm a genius." Haru clapped his hands together and checked to make sure it fit Korra like a glove. It did. Seeing the whole ensemble in a mirror, Korra looked like a water spirit the dress shimmering around her, fitting her in all the right places. The skirt bunched up right on her hip and was fashioned with the ancient symbol for water. "Come, Come we haven't got all day time to join the rest of your little crew." He turned and left the room. Korra dutifully followed tripping on the silver heals Haru made her wear.

She saw the rest of the tributes from republic city grouped together all dressed in various costumes. She tripped and bumped into Mako's back. "Sorry." She mumbled blushing slightly. "Uh, it's ok." Make said steadying her. "You look…" He took a double take. "Nice." Korra's blush became deeper. Normally she wasn't the type to get flustered by boys. Yet, the combination of the conversations her stylists had, the fact he wore the dress of a Fire Nation emperor was enough to get even the most level headed girl a little flustered.

"See, why couldn't have I worn something like that?" Asami asked looked nice herself in the traditional outfit of an Earthbender.

"I don't know Asami, you can still get a fire going in me." Petra winked at her.

Asami let out a groan of disgust. "Try something like that again and I will make sure you learn every implication of the phrase 'block head'." Petra took a step back.

"Now, now, save that aggression for the arena." Came Iroh's voice from down the hall. "I'm sure you're hungry so let's get some lunch." They followed Iroh to a dining room with a class wall looking out at the city. The tributes took their seats around the table Petra sitting as far away from Asami as he could get. As the meal commenced Korra felt like an animal in a zoo with people on the street stopping to watch them as they walked past. Iroh and Hiroshi seemed to be the only ones interested in conversing although Asami and Mako seemed to have silent communication down to an art.

Korra listened to Iroh and Hiroshi's idle chatter and was disgusted at the way that Iroh was able to talk so casually about the games, when he himself had been a tribute. Then there was Hiroshi, his own daughter getting ready to fight for her life and he can't even be bothered at acknowledge her. Korra stood up from the table. "I'm done." She said indignantly. Not even caring anymore how rude she was being. Why should she care? These people obviously didn't care about her.

"Alright." Hiroshi said, not seemed to be startled by her minor outburst. "The door behind be will take you to our apartment and your room is the second door on the right. Relax in either place until it's time to go to the ceremony.

Korra left the room without a word. She sat on a couch in the center of the room and fiddled with a radio on the coffee table before giving up, resigning to curl up in a ball. Her dress was being hopelessly wrinkled and she didn't care. Whoever decided to have her get all dressed up this early obviously wasn't the smartest person in the world. Make came in the room next and sat down next to her, Korra didn't even bother looking up.

"Am I invited to the pity party?" Make asked trying to meet her eyes.

Korra sighed. "Go ahead, the party favors aren't that great." Mako was silent for a little while.

"So have you achieved your goal?"

"What goal?"

"Pissing off every person that might be on your side, I hope you realize you need these people to get you sponsors."

"What do sponsors matter? I'm going to die anyways."

"Hey." The seriousness in his voice causes her to look up. "You're not going to win with that attitude."

"Why would you want me to win?"

"It's just… I." He started again. "Look, I hope it's doesn't come down to you against me, but if it does I want you to put up a real fight. I don't want to win just because you gave up. Can we have a deal?"

"Yeah, ok." Korra fell silent. "Mako?"

"Yeah?"

"I hope it's not you against me either."

* * *

Tenzin raced around his room in the early morning, shoving clothes and other necessities in a bag. "I don't see how this is going to help Tenzin." Pema said sitting on the bed. "They're not going to let her go. If anything it'll just make things worse for her out there."

"I do nothing and she dies, if I do something and there's even a small amount of hope that she lives I'm going to try."

"And you think that talking to the game makers are going to help? They just want a good show Tenzin. They don't care about anything else than the money they can make. We both know what will happen if that information gets into the wrong hands."

"Xin Fu's family and I have a long history he will help us."

"Tenzin equalists have been wanting to end the cycle for generations. If they push Korra into The Avatar State while she's in the arena the equalists will make sure that she dies. She won't reincarnate." Tenzin froze for a second before folding a tunic. "I care about Korra as much as I do our children but you and I both know that we can't risk the loss of The Avatar forever. If Korra dies we'll find the next one and train him or her."

"We've been waiting too long for The Avatar if I possibly save Korra I have to try." He gave his wife a kiss. "I'm going to be late. I have to talk to Xin Fu before they decide on the score." Pema sighed. "Tell the children I'll be home tomorrow night."

"I really hope you know what you're doing Tenzin."

"I always know what I'm doing, that's why you married me." He left the room to prepare Oogi for the long trip ahead.

* * *

**So there was chapter 2, for those who are worried, Bolin will be in the next chapter.**


End file.
